I can’t think of a single person who enjoys paying for car insurance, particularly when their premiums are too high.
Companies like State Farm and Geico all claim big savings, bombarding you with catchy ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the deception and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Buying car insurance in Brookhaven is not that difficult. Nevertheless, New York consumers can benefit by having an understanding of how the larger insurance companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.
Where Can I Get Cheap Brookhaven Car Insurance?
To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from local in Brookhaven, NYcar insurance companies. The easiest way by far to find competitive insurance rates consists of shopping online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The single most time-saving way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This method prevents you from having to do separate forms for each company. A single form gets you coverage quotes from multiple companies.
- A harder way to analyze rates consists of visiting the website for each individual company to complete a price quote. For example, we’ll assume you want to compare Nationwide, 21st Century and Progressive. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker.
To view a list of companies in Brookhaven, click here.
- The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is to spend time driving to local Brookhaven insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you require the professional advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can get the lowest quotes online and still use a local agent and we’ll talk about that later.
Whichever way you use, make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples information for each comparison quote. If you have different values for each quote it’s impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Brookhaven. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. And when quoting car insurance, remember that more quotes provides better odds of finding lower pricing.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
Companies don’t always publicize every discount in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both the well known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
- Drive Less and Save – Keeping the miles down could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Drivers Education – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than less cautious drivers.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Club Memberships – Participating in a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount on car insurance.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.
What impacts Brookhaven insurance rates?
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.
- Your job and insurance rates – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations like judges, business owners and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates because of job stress and lengthy work days. On the other hand, jobs such as pilots, students and performers pay the least.
- Pay less after the wedding – Having a wife or husband can get you a discount on your policy. Having a significant other means you’re more mature than a single person and it’s proven that being married results in fewer claims.
- Do you need the policy add-ons? – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Things like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good at first, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- You might want pay the small claims yourself – If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance companies in New York provide discounts to insureds who do not file claims often. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Discounts for multiple policies – The majority of car insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you still need to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money.
- Don’t cancel a policy without a new one in place – Letting your insurance expire is a fast way to increase your car insurance rates. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.Then you may be required to file a SR-22 with the New York DMV.
What happened to insurance agents?
Some consumers just want to buy from a licensed agent. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is you can get the best rates but also keep your business local.
For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, the quote information is transmitted to agents in your area who will battle to get your business. There is no need to leave your house since price quotes are sent directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier! It’s the lowest rates and work with a local agent.
Choosing an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- How are they compensated?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
The different types of insurance agents
When looking for a reliable agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents to choose from. Agents can either be captive or independent.
Captive Agents
Captive agencies can only place business with one company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are unable to place coverage with different providers so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captives are trained well in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
The following are Brookhaven captive insurance agencies who may provide you with price quotes.
Allstate Insurance Co – 2470 Montauk Hwy – Brookhaven, NY 11719 – (631) 286-6000
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. When searching for an agent, it’s recommended you get quotes from at a minimum one independent agency for the best price selection.
Upon getting acceptable answers to your questions and a low price estimate, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that will service your policy.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the New York Department of Financial Services website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, find disaster information, and find out industry alerts.
Other informative sites include this site for car insurance rates in New York and see this list of insurance agents in Brookhaven.
What is YOUR best insurance company?
Budget-conscious car insurance can be sourced both online and with local Brookhaven insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim they didn’t have enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.
You just read a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.